![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.skiesmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/GalenBurrowsIMG_8711-1024x683.jpg\")
\u201cSo we will go from 174 to 180 seats, and this densification will happen mainly at the back of the plane,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe idea is that those seats are then offered to those people that are actually looking for an ultra-low-cost offering.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the seat pitch would be reduced in economy class, WestJet is emphasizing the design of the new seats will ensure passengers have enough leg room. The airline\u2019s regional Encore fleet of 47 De Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprops will not be part of the process of reconfiguring seats. Noteworthy is the fact that WestJet also placed orders in 2022 for at least 50 Boeing 737 Max 10s, the largest model in the Max family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
WestJet and former Swoop pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International, ratified a four-year collective agreement in June, retroactive to the beginning of 2023. Soon after pilots ratified the contract, WestJet announced plans for Swoop\u2019s shutdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Calgary-based carrier is also integrating Sunwing Airlines into the mainline operations, aiming for completion by October 2024. Sunwing Vacations is being kept as an operating brand, with marketing alongside the smaller WestJet Vacations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTogether, this is going to be the vacation and tour operator powerhouse for Canada,\u201d said von Hoensbroech, who became WestJet CEO in February 2022. The previous CEO, Ed Sims, retired at the end of 2021, and Harry Taylor filled in briefly as interim CEO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Canada\u2019s large geographic area and widely dispersed population have proven to be challenging for the airline industry. There are eight major population centres in Canada, and once airlines go beyond them, making the economics work in smaller markets can be difficult, said von Hoensbroech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe stage lengths are really long, so the costs of flights are usually higher in Canada than they are in other countries,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He noted taxes, airport fees, and other levies contribute to the total ticket price paid by consumers, making it harder for airlines to stimulate budget-conscious travelling in Canada. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though plans call for retiring the Swoop brand name, the general concept of WestJet having a discount fare class is reminiscent of a move by Air Canada two decades ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Air Canada shut down Tango as a low-cost carrier and retired its purple brand colour in the fall of 2003. Air Canada operated Tango for less than two years before closing the unit, but offered Tango as the name of its lowest-cost fare class of seating for consumers buying tickets from 2003 to 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bob Cummings, who started as Swoop\u2019s president in April 2022 and served in that role until the final flight 18 months later, said in a phone interview that he is \u201cvery proud of the company and passing the baton.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was no stranger to WestJet when he took over as Swoop president, having previously served as an executive vice-president at WestJet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Swoop played an important role in WestJet\u2019s history, including operating during the tumultuous times of the pandemic, said Cummings, who describes Swoop as \u201cthe first true ULCC model\u201d in Canada. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt paved the way, and it was a big influence into WestJet\u2019s strategy and where it has ended up,\u201d said Cummings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was the executive responsible for helping start up Swoop, before he first left WestJet in late 2018. The first Swoop president was Steven Greenway, followed by Charles Duncan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
During Duncan\u2019s tenure as Swoop president, flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees ratified a five-year collective agreement in September 2021, which took effect on Oct. 1. The deal remains in effect until Sept. 30, 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today\u2019s workforce stands in contrast to the non-union roots of WestJet, which launched in 1996 with three planes and five destinations. Over the years, WestJet gradually expanded to become the country\u2019s second-largest commercial carrier, after Air Canada. In late 2019, months before travel restrictions were imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Toronto-based Onex Corp. acquired WestJet for $3.5 billion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Cummings has left WestJet for a second time, he said the aviation industry remains near and dear to his heart. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019m done yet,\u201d he shared. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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